I got better offers from Telugu and my work was appreciated more there. Actually, even now, after a year and a half, when I came to Tamil Nadu to listen to the narration of Sachein, there were people who called me Harini (the name director Shankar had given her during the making of Boys). I didn't even imagine that anyone would recognise me after so long.

You are back to your real name, Genelia. Were you uncomfortable in a different name?

I didn't choose to change my name; Shankar did. I was a newcomer then. But in Telugu, I was introduced as Genelia even in Boys, and people in the remotest area in Andhra Pradesh also pronounce my name perfectly.

Yes, there is a comfort level with your own name!